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Ukiyo-e - Utamaro-Usuzumi
The sunao-iro 'honest colors' standard line of Japanese-made, lightfast inks in traditional Japanese hues.
Paper & pairing
As a near-neutral tone, it reads as professional and safe for anything from journaling to signatures. This ink will behave predictably on most fountain-pen-friendly paper. Cheap, highly absorbent paper (standard copier paper) will dull any ink's saturation and can cause feathering or bleed-through with wetter nibs.
About Taccia
Taccia was founded in 2003 in California and is today the writing-instrument brand of the long-established Japanese stationery company Nakabayashi. Its Japanese-made fountain pen inks are known for lightfast, saturated color and are safe to use in all fountain pens. The standard sunao-iro line offers 'honest colors' inspired by traditional Japanese hues, sold in 40 ml bottles.
Storing and using the bottle
Bottled fountain pen ink has an effectively long shelf life when kept capped and out of direct sunlight — most inks remain usable for years. The main risk isn't the ink spoiling, it's a pen sitting inked and unused for weeks: that's what causes clogs, not the ink's age.
Frequently asked questions
Similar shades By colour distance
Color shown is a close digital approximation of a typical swatch, not a calibrated color match.